"On 3 March 1942, Phleps met with fellow SS officer Karl von Krempler, who, together with Croatian government official Alija Šuljak, was to conduct the recruiting effort.

The pro-Ustasha, Croatian nationalist doctor, who was an entirely political appointee, criticized Krempler's spoken Serbian dialect and his use of traditional Islamic colours and emblems (green flags and crescent moons) rather than the new Ustaše symbols during recruitment.

"[4] Major Muhamed Hadžiefendić had been an important Muslim officer in the Yugoslav Royal Army and came from a distinguished family in Tuzla.

As he spoke Turkish, Krempler also helped liaise with and organise security for the visit to Bosnia by Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, over 30 March and 14 April 1942.

Croatian authorities tried to interrupt the visit, but Krempler was instrumental in arranging an interview between the Mufti and several Bosnian community leaders.

He went to the Sanjak region in October and took over the local volunteer militia of around 5,000 anti-communist, anti-Serb Muslim men headquartered in Sjenica.

As the senior Waffen SS officer, Krempler appointed a token local Muslim named Hafiz Sulejman Pačariz as the formal commander of the unit, but as the key military trainer and contact person with German arms and munitions, he remained effectively in control.

[6] In January 1945 he was reassigned to the administrative staff of the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian).